The Second War
by kasumi977
Summary: Sophie and Howl's curse are broken, the Witch of the Waste is gone, but there is a new wizard, Greg, who wants revenge against Ingary. Will Howl and Sophie's new love be strong enough, or will they get hurt and fall apart trying to beat Greg. HowlSophie.
1. The Beginning

Sun drifted through the window, waking Sophie up from her short sleep. Getting up, she looked around to see that she had fallen asleep in the living room (place with the hearth and the breakfast table.) again. She had been busy the night before reading an interesting book that she now picked up, marked the page she was on and put down on the breakfast table. Sophie couldn't hear any noise, so she figured that everyone was still asleep.

"Well, I better get breakfast ready." She said to herself. She got the bacon and eggs, and went over to the hearth to wake up Calcifer. She was not surprised to see he was awake already, looking very alert.

"Morning, Sophie. Making breakfast already?" he asked as she approached with the bacon and eggs.

"Yes. Did Howl come home last night?" Sophie asked and she picked up the frying pan and put it on top of Calcifer. He didn't complain, but he looked worried at the question. Howl hadn't come home last night, and he knew that if he told Sophie, she'd worry because she loved Howl so much, but if he didn't tell her, she would worry even more when Howl didn't come down to breakfast.

'Damn this war. I thought the Witch of the Waste was the only villain around here, but I was wrong. Better tell her the truth.' He thought before answering her. "No, he didn't, but don't worry, Howl's a strong magician, he can take care of himself."

"Oh." Sophie said dejectedly. "He promised he would come home though." She remembered the day before.

**Flashback**

"Sophie, the King wants me to go to the palace and put up wards to protect his family from the war, and I might be back late." Howl had said while putting on his cloak. He hated having to leave her and Michael (Markl) all alone, but they would be safer in the castle than anywhere else.

"Howl, the King is working you too hard. I never get to see you anymore." Sophie said, hugging him at the door, hoping he would come back alive and safe. It had been a month since they had broken each others curse, and had told each other they loved each other. Now they barely had time to see each other, since this new war had started the King had been running Howl and Wizard Suliman ragged trying to keep everyone safe.

"I know, love, I know. I hate it, but this war is worse than the last one. I'm just trying to keep you safe." He said, returning the embrace and kissing her on her hair. He hated seeing her so depressed, but he knew that she understood.

"Promise you'll come home tonight." She said into his chest where she had buried her head. She knew that making him promise something wouldn't do anything, but it would make her feel a little knowing that he would at least try to keep the timeline.

"I promise, I promise." He said, letting her go and turning to Calcifer. "You better keep an eye out, or else something will happen."

"Got it, and you better look out, as well just incase." Calcifer said as Howl turned around and walked out the door. He turned just outside the door, and blew a kiss to Sophie before he continued down the street. Sophie watched him until he was out of sight, and then closed the door.

**Flashback ends**

"Sophie. Sophie. Sophie!" yelled Calcifer, finally getting her attention. She shook her head out of the clouds, and looked at Calcifer. All he said was "Kingsbury door."

She went over to the door and opened it. She screamed as she stepped back and let Howl stagger in covered in cuts and bruises. She helped him over to the hearth and down into a chair before going over to the sink and getting a bowl of water and a rag to clean his injuries with.

"Howl, what happened to you? Where did you get all these injuries? Are you alright?" she asked as she came back to the hearth, sat down next to him and started to clean him up. When she didn't get an answer she looked up at his face, only to see that he had passed out.

Getting very worried, she ran upstairs, woke Michael up, and brought him downstairs to help her get Howl up into his room. As they made their way upstairs, Calcifer just stayed in the hearth and thought to himself 'Who was able to attack Howl? Whoever they are they must be strong to get a punch in at Howl, they must be trouble.'


	2. Waking Up

Howl woke up to the sound of a door closing, he tried to get up, but something held him down by the shoulder.

"Howl, what happened to you? You got beaten up pretty good. You better not get up, or Sophie will kill us." He heard Michael say as he relaxed back into his bed and opened his eyes. He saw Michael looked very disheveled and as though he just woke up.

"You look awful, but I suppose I don't look much better, do I?" Howl asked as he got up into a sitting position before his apprentice could tell him not to. He felt like he had had his heart squished again, but it wasn't as bad.

"You look much better than you did a little while ago when you came back. Sophie has been in a right state worrying and trying to clean you up with hurting you too much." Michael told him, getting up and going over to the door. "I better go tell her before she dies from worrying so much."

He left to go find Sophie and fill her in on Howl's present state of consciousness. Howl lied in his bed trying to ignore the pain, and trying to not feel so bad about making Sophie worry so much, but he knew she would get over it and then hurt him for breaking his promise. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard light footsteps approaching his bedroom door, and saw Sophie come in.

"Howl Jenkins, you'll kill yourself one day soon and when you I'll kill you." She joked half-heartedly, though she was very glad he had woken up. She walked over to his bedside and sat down next to him on the bed. As he put his arm around her, she asked, "Are you going to explain yourself, or do I have to make you?"

"My Princess, you need not threaten me, an injured man. I will tell you anything you want, if you make it worth my while." He said "seriously", as he laid back with her in his arms, marveling at how someone could be so warm and perfect.

"Howl, doesn't me just being here make it worth your while?" she asked, snuggling up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. She was relieved that he was alright and that he had his playful attitude back already.

"You are correct, but maybe something a little _more_ worth my while." Howl said with a mischievous smirk coming across his face that made Sophie giggle. She knew what he wanted, but she would play with him before giving in.

"You mean this, Howl." She as she brought her lips up to his. She teased him a little with simple brushes of her lips before he pulled her into a passionate kiss. They stayed like this for a while before breaking apart for air.

"Yes, that's what I mean." He said as he pulled her closer. He loved have her so close, knowing that she was his and only his.

"Howl." He heard his name come out from her parted lips and looked down. "Will you tell me what happen, and why you came home covered in cuts and bruises?"

"Alright, but if I think that you can't handle any of it, I'll stop." He said, looking into her eyes and saw that she was determined to hear it all. She nodded and he started to explain.

**Flashback**

Howl had just finish up at the castle and was on his way home when he heard some ruckus from a shop nearby. He ran over to help, but got knocked out as the shop exploded.

He woke up chained to a wall, and he saw Galen, a well-known servant of the wizard who had started this second war. Behind Galen he noted that there was a wall filled with torture devices (whips, knifes, potions, etc.) but he didn't care, his mind was on getting home to Sophie. Just as he started to form a plan, he heard a door open, and footsteps approach.

"Well, well. I guess it isn't impossible to catch the great wizard Howl." He heard a cold voice say. He knew that voice belonged to Gregorio, the wizard who Galen served. Howl saw Greg come down the steps and over to him.

"What do you want Greg? I want to go home and you are not exactly helping." Howl said lazily, pretending not to be intimated. Greg was a tall, lean man with orange short hair.

"Well, Howl, I will let you go after you tell me which enchantments you put over the castle. I need to know, because I can't seem to get in." Greg said calmly as though they were talking over tea, instead of in a dungeon.

"Sorry Greg, won't tell. Mostly because I only did half of them." Howl replied, noticing that Greg had pulled out a knife. Howl had to put his plan (yes he has already made a plan) into action. Just as Greg started to plunge the knife towards Howl's stomach, Howl spoke the words of power to transport him home. He appeared right outside his Kingsbury door, and you know what happens after that.

**Flashback ends**

"Oh Howl, are you okay?" asked Sophie, looking up worriedly into Howl's blue eyes. He could only kiss on the nose and say, "Fine, now that I'm home with you, but I know Greg won't stop until he attacks the King. Yet, for right now, lets sleep." Sophie agreed and snuggled up into him, but she knew that she would not be able to stop worrying. They fell asleep a little while later.

Greg's Castle

"Damn that Howl! I was so close to getting rid of him!" Greg shouted in his study. He had been so close. "Don't worry Howl; I will get you, as soon as I find your weakness." He said with a smirk as he started coming up with plans to get Howl and Ingary.


	3. Figuring It Out

Greg's Castle

"Hmm. What could his weakness be? He still as heartless as ever, so it can't be a girl, but I'm going to keep a close eye on him anyway... GALEN!" Greg shouted his servant's name, knowing that Galen could hear him even if he was at the other side of the mansion.

Seconds later Galen appeared, bowed, and asked, "Sir, what is it you need?"

"Galen, I need you to bring me my crystal so I can 'check in' on Howl. Then I will need you to make a tracking spell, to find Howl's castle in the Waste." Greg ordered lazily, still thinking about what Howl's weakness could be.

"Yes, sir, right away." And with that Galen was gone from the library where his master was.

Howl's Castle

"Howl, you shouldn't be up, you're going to hurt yourself. Go back to bed." Ordered Sophie worriedly, as she saw Howl descending to the bottom of the stairs.

Howl simply went up to her, and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close.

"I'm fine, Sophie, just a little hungry. Is Michael out?" He said, looking around, and not seeing his energetic apprentice anywhere.

"Yeah, he went down to the market to get some more food, since you never seem to want to, and since you don't let me go anywhere farther than twenty feet of the castle entrances." She told him huffily, getting up and starting to make Howl lunch.

"Sophie, my love, you know that I would die if anything happen to you, and it isn't safe anywhere due to this war." He said smoothly, following Sophie over to the hearth, and hugging her from behind. He loved how she always spoke her mind, even if it wasn't always to reflect on happy things.

"Yes, I know, Howl, but I'm so bored here." She said, putting down the pan she was going to cook in and turning around in his arms. "I have nothing to do here and it is really starting to annoy me."

"Well, we can't have that. Don't worry, I'll think of some..." He stopped abruptly, and looked around. 'No, that's impossible. How did he find me?' Howl disentangled one of his arms, and waved it in the direction of the disturbance.

"Howl, what's wrong?" asked Sophie, knowing that Howl wouldn't stop and cast a spell if it wasn't important.

"Someone was watching us." Howl said simply, letting go of Sophie and going over to Calcifer, who was watching them with slight interest.

"So, you felt it too." It wasn't a question. Though they weren't in contract anymore, Calcifer and Howl still connected.

"Yeah, Calcifer, put up a shield, I don't them to spy on us again." Howl said, before stopping, sitting down on the couch, and patting the place next to him, beckoning Sophie to him.

"Howl, what do you mean someone was watching us?" Sophie asked, walking over to the couch, and sitting down next to Howl.

"Do you remember that wizard that attacked me yesterday?" Howl asked, wrapping his arms around her waist, and laying down with Sophie on top of him.

"Yes, but I don't see..." She trailed off, getting distracted by Howl rubbing small circles in the small of her back.

"He was also an apprentice of Madame Suliman, but he turned evil before I met Calcifer. When we were in school, we were always competing with each other. He always got mad, because I was always the stronger one." Howl started to explain, knowing that Sophie would be confused if he didn't start at the beginning.

**Flashback**

"Howl! How could you do that to me! How do you keep beating me!" Screamed a younger version of Greg at a younger version of Howl. It was the day that Greg had left the Royal Sorcerers Academy.

"I'm better, that's just it." Howl said simply, not turning away from the book he was reading, getting tired of having this argument all the time.

"You think you're so good, but you're not!" Greg screamed at him, then turned and traipsed angrily out of the room, but not before screaming at Howl, "One day, I am going to get you and this entire kingdom, too."

**Flashback Ends**

"Oh, Howl. That's terrible!" gasped Sophie, snuggling into Howl, feeling as scared as she had on the day that Howl had saved her from the soldiers, incidentally the same day that she first met Howl.

"Don't worry, Sophie. I will never let him touch you." Howl swore sharply, as if he was talking to someone other than Sophie. He pulled her closer to him, and they both drifted to sleep, unknowing that something horrible had just happened.

Greg's Castle

"Hmm. I was wrong; Howl has found a woman to protect. Too bad for him that now I know, so I can use her against him." Greg said to himself. In his head, he started forming a plan to capture that Sophie girl, and what he could do to her to get Howl to do some deeds for him.

"Hmm. So many things I can do with Howl, but maybe I can also have some fun with the girl, she is pretty. Hmm..."

Howl's Castle

Howl awoke suddenly, but made sure that Sophie didn't wake up. Something was going on, and he and Sophie would be in trouble if it went according to plan. Getting up, and then laying Sophie back on the couch, he went to the door and turned it to the black side, and left, but not before saying to Calcifer,

"Calcifer, Greg's up to something, and Sophie is part of his plan to get to me. Make sure she stays here, and don't let anything in, except Michael."

And without waiting for an answer he left, not hearing Calcifer mutter, "You better think of something quick Howl, or else we'll all be in trouble."


End file.
